Solar power exchange on trial at village

Camera IconBusselton's National Lifestyle Villages manager Graham Alp believes solar energy is the way forward and is excited to trial Power Ledger's new technology. Credit: Taelor Pelusey

Busselton is inching to the forefront of the solar revolution as a first-of-its-kind technological trial gets underway.

Hardware developed by Perth-based start-up Power Ledger was due to be installed today at Busselton’s National Lifestyle Village as part of a trial exploring a new peer-to-peer trading platform allowing the exchange of excess solar energy.

Power Ledger managing director David Martin told theTimes the technology would allow households with solar panels to trade excess energy with neighbours rather than storing it or selling it back to the grid.

“We’re hoping to demonstrate to the satisfaction of Western Power and Synergy, and to the consumers themselves, that the technology works,” he said.

“We want to show consumers they can get even more of an economic return on their investment in solar panels … and show people who can’t afford solar panels, or renters, or people who can’t access their roof, that they too can benefit from solar energy.”

About 15 houses in the village will participate in the trial expected to last at least eight weeks.

Mr Martin understood the trial was a first for Australia and only knew of one similar academic trial in New York.

Village manager Graham Alp said the village already had environmental initiatives in place and understood this contributed to the village being selected as the trial location.

“As we get older, I think we have a responsibly to reduce our impact on the environment,” he said.

“We also live in a really special and beautiful place, so that really brings it home.”

Mr Alp said his home had been running on solar for seven to eight years and believed there was potential for solar to “really take off”.